
Fat-free cheese is made from fat-free milk and is typically lower in calories than its full-fat counterpart. It may be less flavorful, harder, and crumblier than regular cheese. It may also not melt as well as regular cheese.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Fat content | Fat-free |
Calories | Lower |
Melting | Doesn't melt well |
Texture | Harder, crumblier |
Flavor | Less flavorful |
What You'll Learn
Made from fat-free milk
Fat-free cheese is made from fat-free milk. Depending on the variety of cheese, it might be less flavorful, harder, and crumblier than regular cheese. Because of the lack of fat, this cheese variety is typically lower in calories than its full-fat counterpart as well.
If you're looking to cut back on the amount of fat in your diet, you may have come across fat-free cheese. Cheese is made by combining milk (usually cow's milk) with a starter culture of bacteria that digest the milk sugar, called lactose, and produce lactic acid. It's this starter culture that helps determine the ultimate flavor of the cheese. Next, an enzyme called rennet is added which causes the milk to curdle, producing solid lumps called curds, leaving behind a protein-rich liquid called whey.
Milk is an emulsion of fat, protein, and water. When milk comes out of the cow, its fat globules are large, and since they're lighter than the water, they separate and float to the top in the form of cream. In the old days, that's how a bottle of milk came. You could either shake it up to combine the cream with the milk, or just enjoy the cream from the top of the bottle.
Whether this is acceptable to you or not is a personal decision. If you're looking to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, this might be a worthwhile trade-off, or it might not. For example, if you bake a casserole using fat-free cheese, mix some cheese inside the casserole and then sprinkle some on top, you can expect that the cheese inside will melt somewhat, while the cheese on top will not. It seems to be a function of surrounding moisture and perhaps the surrounding fats of other ingredients that help fat-free cheese to melt.
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Lower in calories
Fat-free cheese is made from fat-free milk and is typically lower in calories than its full-fat counterpart. Depending on the cheese variety, it might be less flavorful, harder, and crumblier than regular cheese.
Because of the lack of fat, this cheese variety is typically lower in calories than its full-fat counterpart. Just remember that because of the lack of fat, this variety of cheese may not be the best choice if you are hoping for it to melt, as it may not perform as well as the original version.
If you're looking to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, this might be a worthwhile trade-off, or it might not. For example, if you bake a casserole using fat-free cheese, mix some cheese inside the casserole and then sprinkle some on top, you can expect that the cheese inside will melt somewhat, while the cheese on top will not.
Whether this is acceptable to you or not is a personal decision. If you're looking to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, this might be a worthwhile trade-off, or it might not. For example, if you bake a casserole using fat-free cheese, mix some cheese inside the casserole and then sprinkle some on top, you can expect that the cheese inside will melt somewhat, while the cheese on top will not.
The cheese on top will brown somewhat, but not quite melt. Whether this is acceptable to you or not is a personal decision. If you're looking to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, this might be a worthwhile trade-off, or it might not. For example, if you bake a casserole using fat-free cheese, mix some cheese inside the casserole and then sprinkle some on top, you can expect that the cheese inside will melt somewhat, while the cheese on top will not.
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Less flavourful
Fat-free cheese is made from fat-free milk. Depending on the variety of cheese, it might be less flavorful, harder, and crumblier than regular cheese.
Because of the lack of fat, this cheese variety is typically lower in calories than its full-fat counterpart as well. Just remember that because of the lack of fat, this variety of cheese may not be the best choice if you are hoping for it to melt, as it may not perform as well as the original version.
Whether this is acceptable to you or not is a personal decision. If you're looking to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, this might be a worthwhile trade-off, or it might not.
Cottage cheese can be a fantastic addition to a fruit salad, pasta dishes and even as a topping for a baked potato. And for cheese lovers who want to limit their saturated fat, it can be a welcome addition to their diet.
Each cheese has its own particular fat content. In general, higher-fat cheeses are creamier, such as mascarpone, and lower fat cheeses are harder, such as Parmesan.
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Harder and crumblier
Fat-free cheese is made from fat-free milk, which is an emulsion of fat, protein and water. Depending on the cheese variety, fat-free cheese can be less flavorful, harder and crumblier than regular cheese.
Because of the lack of fat, fat-free cheese is typically lower in calories than its full-fat counterpart. However, fat-free cheese may not be the best choice if you are hoping for it to melt, as it may not perform as well as the original version.
If you're looking to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, this might be a worthwhile trade-off, or it might not. Cottage cheese can be a fantastic addition to a fruit salad, pasta dishes and even as a topping for a baked potato.
Whether this is acceptable to you or not is a personal decision. If you're looking to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, this might be a worthwhile trade-off, or it might not.
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Doesn't melt as well
Fat-free cheese is made from fat-free milk and depending on the cheese variety, it might be less flavorful, harder, and crumblier than regular cheese. Because of the lack of fat, this cheese variety is typically lower in calories than its full-fat counterpart as well. However, fat-free cheese may not be the best choice if you are hoping for it to melt, as it may not perform as well as the original version.
When you bake a casserole using fat-free cheese, mix some cheese inside the casserole and then sprinkle some on top, you can expect that the cheese inside will melt somewhat, while the cheese on top will not. The cheese on top will brown somewhat, but not quite melt. Whether this is acceptable to you or not is a personal decision. If you're looking to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, this might be a worthwhile trade-off, or it might not.
For a quick sandwich addition or a simple snack choice, fat-free Swiss cheese can fit the bill. Cottage cheese can be a fantastic addition to a fruit salad, pasta dishes and even as a topping for a baked potato. And for cheese lovers who want to limit their saturated fat, it can be a welcome addition to their diet.
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Frequently asked questions
Fat-free cheese is made from fat-free milk. It is typically lower in calories than its full-fat counterpart.
Depending on the variety of cheese, it might be less flavorful, harder, and crumblier than regular cheese.
The cheese inside will melt somewhat, while the cheese on top will not melt as much.